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Run like Willie: Race to honor Lubbock astronaut scheduled for Saturday

Willie McCool Memorial Half-Marathon and 5K/10K is set for 8 a.m. Saturday by the Silent Wings Museum

The second edition of the Willie McCool Memorial Half Marathon will be held on Saturday in Lubbock. (Zach Long/A-J Media)

A statue near the intersection of 84th Street and Quaker Avenue honors Willie McCool. The Lubbock astronaut is the inspiration for a race Saturday morning, April 5.

A statue near the intersection of 84th Street and Quaker Avenue honors Willie McCool. The Lubbock astronaut is the inspiration for a race Saturday morning, April 5.

Run like Willie, say supporters of a race dedicated to the memory of a Lubbock astronaut.

The second annual Willie McCool Memorial Half-Marathon and 5k/10k is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, April 5, by the Silent Wings Museum.

The run’s namesake graduated from Coronado High School in 1979 and was the pilot of the space shuttle Columbia in February 2003. He and other astronauts on board were killed when it exploded while returning to Earth’s atmosphere.

“We started this race as something to promote health and wellness in our community and to honor Willie McCool,” event director Ainsley Nelson said

Registration fees — which for adults range from $30 to $55, depending on course length — will go toward a scholarship fund in McCool’s name. Each year, one graduating senior from his alma mater who has demonstrated success in math or science is awarded the scholarship.

“Willie was very interested in education,” said Audrey McCool, his mother. “The race, by supporting the scholarship program, is another way to carry on Willie’s interest in education and encouraging young people to explore opportunities, particularly in science.”

McCool earned master’s degrees in computer science and aeronautical engineering. He completed flight training and became a pilot for the U.S. Navy before NASA selected him in 1996.

“He was pretty well into his career as a pilot for the Navy before he thought about becoming an astronaut,” Audrey McCool said.

But astronautical science was only one of McCool’s interests. When he was on solid ground, another was — you guessed it — running.

The late space explorer picked up the sport during his days as a Coronado Mustang and stuck with it long after graduation, Audrey McCool said.

“He loved running,” she said. “He would run for relaxation, or to think or for the love of running.”

West Texas Endurance, the race’s host, is a Lubbock-based sporting event management company. Staff created the event last year with the half-marathon and 5k courses, but chose to add the 10k this year partly because it was McCool’s favorite distance.

Registration begins at 6:15 a.m. with starting time at 8 a.m. for the half-marathon and 8:15 a.m. for the 5k and 10k.

The half-marathon course races through Lubbock’s business park and country club. All three trails loop back to the starting line and are adorned with American flags.

“It’s a very patriotic event honoring a local hero,” Nelson said.

For more information, visit www.westtexasendurance.com/events/willie-mccool-memorial.